North Carolina Coastal Federation State of the Coast Report 2009

The Future of our Beaches State of the Coast North Carolina has some of the most valuable places. As the buffer is eaten away by erosion and a general shortage and sometimes mismanagement of sand in the system, public and private NCCF is a non-profit tax-exempt organization dedicated and beautiful beaches in the world. In this State of to involving citizens in decisions about managing coastal oceanfront property owners have become increasingly concerned about their the Coast Report, we examine what needs to be investments. resources. Its aim is to share technical information and done to protect them. resources to better represent current and long-term Rising sea level will make oceanfront management decisions even more economic, social and environmental interests of the North In writing this report, we looked beyond current arguments over challenging in the future. Previous predictions of the range of sea level rise Carolina Coast. whether to maintain the state’s ban on seawalls, jetties and groins. Let’s be were based on limited scientific knowledge and focused on the oceans ability very clear–the federation is on the forefront of efforts to keep this ban in to absorb heat. These measurements are now being refined by new federal NCCF BOARD OF DIRECTORS place. But we also recognize that the fight to keep the state’s ban on hard research that indicates that a three-foot rise in sea level over the next 90 President Melvin Shepard, Jr. – Sneads Ferry structures to control erosion is only a symptom of a much larger and more years that can be expected along our coast. Vice President Dick Bierly – Morehead City complex problem. In response to an accelerating rise in sea-level and destructive storm Treasurer Olivia Holding – Raleigh Forward-looking officials decided in the early 1980s that our public events, barrier islands will increasingly move toward the mainland while inlets Secretary Ginger Webster – Kitty Hawk beaches should not be degraded to protect private or public oceanfront will shift over time. This means private and public oceanfront development, Gerry Barrett, Atlantic; Sam Bland, Emerald Isle; Liz Brinker, Currituck; Veronica Carter, Le- development. This priority has remained the cornerstone of our oceanfront which is currently increasing in density and value, will be at even greater land; Matthew Converse, Moyock; Wanda Coston, Wilmington; Bill Ducker, Sunset Beach; policy ever since. risk. These trends, combined with current limitations on funding for beach re- Ernie Foster, Hatteras; James Barrie Gaskill, Ocracoke; Bill Hunneke, Greenville; Joseph When our current policies were adopted, the amount and value of nourishment, difficulty in finding suitable sand for beach pumping and dramatic Kilpatrick, Winston-Salem; Jackie Mardan, Wilmington; Mary Hunter Martin, Raleigh; Randy Mason, Emerald Isle; Midge Ogletree, Columbia; David M. Paynter, Wilmington; Lewis private oceanfront development was low compared to today. Policymakers increases in the costs of insurance will challenge the state’s resolve to protect Piner, Wendell; Richard Powers, Greenville; Joseph Ramus, Beaufort; Duane Reynolds, knew that comprehensive strategies to protect our public beaches were its public beaches unless we become much more proactive and aggressive in Havelock; John Runkle, Chapel Hill; Bland Simpson, Chapel Hill; Donna Snead, Emerald required and elected to get out in front of oceanfront development trends designing and implementing policies to save this precious resource. Isle; Doug Wakeman, Pittsboro; Keith Walker, Beaufort in order for current and future policies to remain effective. Progressive That’s why the federation decided to invite a diverse set of people polices included: banning hard erosion control structures; encouraging beach to a “summit” in March to help chart another course for the future of our STAFF re-nourishment to protect existing development from erosion; permitting sand beaches. At this meeting, we purposely avoided discussing disagreements Headquarters bags to provide time to either remove structures imminently threatened by and conflicts and focused instead on areas of agreement among participants. eXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Todd Miller: [email protected] erosion or to protect them while the beach was being re-nourished; enacting We had hoped to rekindle a more constructive dialogue about our beaches direCTOR OF OPERATIONS Rachael Carlyle: [email protected] building setback regulations on the oceanfront; and providing money to buy similar to what occurred 30 years ago when our current policies and rules dePUTY DIRECTOR Lauren Kolodij: [email protected] undevelopable lots for beach access. were put in place. BUSINESS MANAGER Jo Ann Marsh: [email protected] Many other proposed ideas were either compromised to limit their Out of this meeting, the majority agreed on many constructive findings PLANNING & COMMUNICATIONS Christine Miller: [email protected] and recommendations on how to improve the protection of our beaches. DIRECTOR effectiveness or never adopted by either the N.C. Coastal Resources Commis- oFFICE ASSISTANT Rose Rundell: [email protected] sion or the N.C. General Assembly. Sufficient money to buy open space along These recommendations can be found in this report. They won’t solve all the Emily Farmer: [email protected] the ocean was never provided, building setbacks were set at the expected serious threats to beaches. They demonstrate instead that there’s a lot of deVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Sally Steele: [email protected] life of the mortgages and not the buildings and tighter limitations on public consensus about many things that need to be done to get us moving forward POLICY DIRECTOR Jim Stephenson: [email protected] infrastructure that serves high-density development in ocean hazard areas in a positive direction to protect our beaches. never materialized. The harder part of the job still remains. It will take inspired and Northeast Meanwhile, a number of federal and state government programs dedicated leadership to translate these recommendations into meaningful CAPE HATTERAS COASTKEEPER Jan DeBlieu: [email protected] such as the National Flood Insurance Program, the N.C. Beach Plan and the actions. Protection of the public trust beach must remain the clear purpose Coastal Scientist Erin Fleckenstein: [email protected] and outcome of all management decisions along North Carolina’s oceanfront. Coastal Outreach Specialist Sara Hallas: [email protected] Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief aid have policies that conflict with the goal of protecting the public beach. This results in increasing This can only occur by getting out in front of issues and threats, and not Central conflict between policies that promote protection of the public beach and waiting until our beaches are in crisis. They are simply too valuable to leave CAPE LOOKOUT COASTKEEPER Frank Tursi: [email protected] policies that encourage intense oceanfront development. their fate to a reactionary management approach that results in decisions Coastal Scientist Lexia Weaver: [email protected] The net effect of these mixed policy choices is that they worked to that satisfy no one. Coastal Outreach Specialist Sarah Phillips: [email protected] forestall, but not eliminate, serious threats to maintaining public beaches. Southeast Building setbacks, for example, provided a temporary cushion for oceanfront CAPE FEAR COASTKEEPER Mike Giles: [email protected] development and public accesses–but that cushion is disappearing in many Todd Miller, Executive Director Senior Coastal Scientist Tracy Skrabal: [email protected] Coastal Outreach Specialist Ted Wilgis: [email protected]

NCCF’s 14th Annual State of the Coast Report The intent of the State of the Coast Report is to provide citizens who care about our coast with a tool to better understand the issues, challenges and solu- tions that are key to our coast’s health. We hope this publication will move you to participate in the restoration and protection of our coast. To learn more, call the NC Coastal Federation at 252-393-8185. The opinions expressed in the State of the Coast Report represent the views of the N.C Coastal Federation. 3609 Highway 24 (Ocean), Newport, NC 28570 Acknowledgements: Phone: 252-393-8185 • Fax: 252-393-7508 This publication required a major effort that combined the expertise of many people. Jan DeBlieu, the federation’s Cape Hatteras Coastkeeper, was the E-Mail: [email protected] • www.nccoast.org report’s lead author. Frank Tursi, the federation’s Cape Lookout Coastkeeper, was its editor and also contributed articles. Christine Miller, our planning and The North Carolina Coastal Federation is located on Highway 24 in Ocean, communications director, copyedited the publication and oversaw design, printing and distribution, and Sara Birkemeir and George Scott at 8 Dot Graphics NC, between Swansboro and Morehead City. Our offices, nature library and designed the publication. shop are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm.

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2 t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 Table of Contents Page 3 Erosion: A Natural Force That Remakes Our Beaches Erosion: A Natural Force That Remakes Our Beaches Imagine you’re sitting on a sandy beach at the “On the southernmost portion of Onslow Beach, there ocean’s edge, playing in a tide pool. You take were tidal creeks on the estuary side in ’91 that are gone Pages 4 some sand and mix it with water until it drips now. If they were still there, they’d be in the ocean. North Seawalls, Jetties and Groins of there, the beach has been building seaward. There’s Why hard structures are bad for the beach and how they came to be from your fingers. You dribble this sandy banned in North Carolina. mixture in an arc along the waterline so it more sediment offshore.” –John Fussell, biologist, central coast forms a low ridge. Think of sand as geologic currency. Every island has a Page 5 Over the next few hours the tide will come and go, washing sand budget, and where it’s managed wisely, the beaches are Regulatory History over your little ridge, drowning it at times, leaving it high wider, flatter and less plagued by erosion. When humans try Regulations to control development along the state’s beaches and dry at others. As the water moves in and out, it pushes to control erosion, they often upset the sand budget and create were visionary for their time, but never evolved to meet unseen problems. current or future threats. sand grains around. The shape of your ridge will be altered, radically in places. In the mid-20th century, workers paid by the federal government built tall dunes on beaches from the Virginia state Page 6 You have just created a working model of barrier islands, in all their changeable beauty. line to the southern tip of Ocracoke Island. Scientists didn’t A Rising Sea understand barrier island migration then, and the dunes were The Atlantic Ocean is expected to rise at almost three times the The thin strands that edge the North Carolina coast—and that rate it has in the past because of global warming. Such a dramatic comprise some of the most expensive real estate in the state— intended to protect the beaches from erosion. They had the increase will worsen erosion and storm damage. have never been firm ground. They migrate a grain at a time, and opposite effect. they shift noticeably when they’re assaulted by storms. When angry surf rolls up a beach, it pushes sand to the Pages 7-8 Every day, sand is carried by wind and tide from offshore west—its natural drift. But if the breakers hit a line of tall Beach Summit Recommendations bars to the beach and back in a never-ending dance. Its dunes, they undercut them and carry the sand into the ocean, Experts and scientists in the various fields of oceanfront development movement depends on the season and the frequency of major where’s it’s lost from the barrier island system. The same thing meet for two days and recommend sweeping changes to state and happens when storm surf hits a sea wall. Since the ocean can’t federal laws to better protect our public beaches. storms like hurricanes and nor’easters and even minor ones. But what happens when the islands are buried beneath wash sediment onto the island over a sea wall or tall dunes, the sand budget is pushed into a l deficit. Pages 9-11 homes and businesses worth billions of dollars? As they drift and The 2008 Pelican Awards move, private property and public infrastructure are threatened Once the dunes were built on Cape Hatteras, they were Recognizing the good work of people, groups and organizations by erosion. Pressure mounts to try to hold them in place. perpetually maintained to protect buildings and N.C. 12, the to protect our coast It’s an impossible task. main highway along the Outer Banks 12. As a result, the islands of Cape Hatteras are starving. But the islands of Cape Lookout, Pages 12-15 “A huge sand spit can form on an inlet point over where no artificial dunes were built, just to the south, are still Annual Report eight to nine months—then you get a couple of weeks wide and healthy. The N.C. Coastal Federation’s accomplishments and of storms and it’s gone.” –Sam Bland, retired ranger and “Mason’s Creek has been lost. It used to be very natural, financial report for 2008. Superintendent, Hammocks Beach State Park with bends and sandbars. But they’ve channelized it Cover by George Mitchell • www.carolina-photo.com Setting public policy for North Carolina’s migrating beaches with overdredging. And they’ve done it because they should be simple: As much as possible, let nature take its wanted the sand for renourishment.” –Bob Pharr, long time This Report Is for Jim course. Build in flexibility. This is true even though there are Howe’s Creek resident vast differences between the thin Outer Banks and the This State of the Coast Report is wider but hurricane-threatened strands south of Cape Then there are the geologic underpinnings of the beaches, dedicated to Jim Stephenson, the Lookout. which help determine where erosion occurs. federation’s policy director and legisla- Along the northern coast, 20 feet of sand sit atop Between 20,000 and 8,000 years ago, during the peak tive lobbyist who died recently of an of the last ice age, so much of the Earth’s water was tied up in apparent heart attack. We here at the the muck of an ancient river channel or old inlets. The ice that sea level was 400 feet lower than today. The state’s federation lost a friend and a valuable islands that formed atop these unstable sediments lie teammate. All who cherish the North close to the continental shelf and face northeast to east coastline lay somewhere near the continental shelf. Carolina coast lost a forceful advocate. and into the prevailing winds of powerful wintertime Back then rivers ran through what are now the coastal Jim loved our coast and worked nor’easters. As a result, heavy surf from the open ocean sounds of the northern coast, forming gravel-filled channels. diligently to protect it. Every coastal slams into the barrier islands, intensifying erosion. Ancient river gravels erode more quickly than other coastal environmental bill that passed the The islands south of Cape Lookout lie atop more stable sediments. Geologists believe the segments of coast with N.C. General Assembly in the last five or six years had Jim’s underlying gravel are more prone to inlet formation. Their fingerprints on it, as did most of the coastal regulations of state ancient rock and are made up of thinner layers of marine sands theory held be true in 2003, when Hurricane Isabel cut an agencies. He worked quietly behind the scenes to ensure that and clays. Facing southeast to south, they are protected from the bills and rules were as protective of our coastal environ- winter storms, though they’re more vulnerable to the less- inlet just north of Hatteras Village—right where they had that ment as they could be. frequent hurricanes. The geologic disparity between north and predicted an inlet would form. No issue fired Jim’s passions more than protecting our south shapes very different kinds of islands. Along the Outer While recent geologic studies have sharpened our beaches. At the time of his death, he was working to stop Banks, the strands are long and narrow, with only four inlets knowledge of coastal erosion, none of this is new. In 1978, in a bill that would allow small jetties to be built at inlets to between the Virginia state line and Cape Lookout. To the west a book entitled From Currituck to Calabash: Living with North lessen erosion. He feared that bill would be the first step in Carolina’s Barrier Islands, four respected geologists surveyed dismantling the state’s long-standing ban on seawalls, jetties are the wide Albemarle and Pamlico sounds. the beaches and pinpointed areas of high erosion. The book and other types of hard structures in our beaches. Allowing South of Cape Lookout, the steeper rising sediments have such structures, he knew, was a shortsighted step that would given birth to fatter, stubbier islands, lots of inlets and much was meant to warn potential property owners against purchas- threaten the public’s use of their beach. narrower bays and sounds. The surf here packs less punch, ing land that was bound to wash away. It might have also served This State of the Coast Report lays out what’s at stake and too, because waves lose much of their energy traveling across as a tool for seaside communities to plan for wise growth. But presents a thoughtful plan that protects the future of our the wide continental shelf. its advice was largely ignored. public beaches. Jim would approve.

t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 3 Protecting Our Beaches: Eddies and Shoals

On a steep stretch of beach in Kill Devil Hills setback requirements had been applied to ocean beaches. is a five-story hotel that’s famous among North Most notably, regulations were passed to discourage the Carolina policymakers. use of hard structures—seawalls, jetties and groins. Instead, communities were encouraged to protect themselves from With its sand-color cladding and open breezeways, the erosion through beach re-nourishment or the relocation of Sea Ranch doesn’t look much different from other older threatened buildings. oceanfront inns. But in the early 1980s the surf began Successful re-nourishment projects had been completed lapping at its foundation—and the state’s Coastal Resources at Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach. These were far Commission (CRC) faced the first challenge to its new less damaging to natural systems than hard structures, which Mud balls litter Atlantic Beach after a bad beach renourishment project. erosion control policies. disrupt the natural flow of sand and cause massive erosion Development was booming along the coast, fueled by over time. Hard structures could still be installed under the permanent hardening of the shoreline. The CRC heeded his decades of light storm activity and state and federal subsidies CRC rules, but not to protect newly- constructed beachfront warning. In December 1984 the commission adopted a full ban that lessened the financial risk of building on the beaches. houses or businesses. against placing hard structures on the state’s beaches—one of State policymakers were looking north with alarm to New The CRC regulations allowed installation of sand bags the first of its kind in the nation. Jersey and other urban coasts, where seawalls and jetties had for erosion control, but only as a temporary measure to give accelerated erosion. The Inlet Question property owners time to move their houses—and communities The federal government had passed the Coastal Zone Challenges to the ban were mounted almost immediately. a chance to plan nourishment projects. Management Act in 1972, spurring North Carolina to enact its For awhile they were rebuffed. But in 1989 the state Division It all sounded good. But a higher-than-expected erosion own Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) two years later. of Transportation was granted a permit to build a small jetty rate at the Sea Ranch quickly showed how difficult it would The purpose of the new law was to protect the coast’s natural along the south shore of Oregon Inlet to protect the approach be to sustain the CRC’s new policies. In desperation the environment and promote sustainable development in the to the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, which spanned the inlet. hotel’s owners tried to halt the ocean’s advance with spot state’s 20 coastal counties. On the state’s southern coast, ocean surf began seriously re-nourishment, sand bags and repairs to an old bulkhead. CAMA mandated the creation of the CRC, a 15-member threatening the Civil War-era earthen works at Fort Fisher. Nothing worked. regulatory commission made up of coastal residents from a Because the fort was historically significant and could not range of interest groups. The law charged the CRC with setting Holding the Line be moved, the CRC granted a variance in 1992 that allowed policies to safeguard the state’s beaches, inlets, marshes and In early 1984 the CRC appointed a task force to examine construction of a seawall around the site. estuaries. erosion problems at the Sea Ranch and other threatened Owners of private property were also seeking variances to The commission and the staff of the new state Division properties in Dare County. Its report to the full CRC that the ban. In 1995 the developers of Bald Head Island south of of Coastal Management (DCM) set up a permitting system summer was extensive. Key among them was the conclusion Wilmington won a variance that allowed the installation of 16 and wrote land-use planning guidelines for growing coastal that the state’s beaches should remain open for use by the sand-filled fabric tubes. The tubes stretched from dunes to communities. It was a heady time. “The people we worked public. Large commercial structures should be discouraged ocean. with were very committed to looking at the science of coastal from building on erosion-prone shores. Seawalls should Next, owners of the newly-constructed Shell Island systems and carefully and thoughtfully setting policy,” says be banned, along with other erosion control measures that Resort on the north end of Wrightsville Beach pressured the David Owens, the director of DCM from 1978 to 1989. “We also threatened public use of the beaches. CRC to let them build a steel sheet piling as protection from wanted to involve the public through education.” The task force suggested that sand-trapping structures like Mason Inlet, which was migrating south at a rate of 450 feet a It soon became clear that new kinds of rules were needed groins and breakwaters might be allowed if carefully designed year. The CRC stood firm, even in the face of a lawsuit by the for building on the changeable ocean beaches. Between 1979 to protect public use of the beaches. But Paul Denison, a Wrightsville property owners. (The suit ultimately failed.) But and 1984, the CRC enacted a number of ground-breaking retired Army Corps District engineer and a member of the the commission allowed the resort to install a wall of sandbags regulations. New development was required to be set back CRC’s citizens’ advisory council, objected that the provision 410 feet long and 16 feet high, with the stipulation that the from the ocean, based on a formula pegged to local erosion could easily be misused. Denison cautioned that the use of bags would be removed in two years. rates. It was the first time in the nation that variable erosion stationary materials like wood or concrete would lead to a continued on page 6...

Jetties: Expensive Fixes With Unforeseen Consequences A decade after construction of the groin, currents flowing through the It’s an old saying, but a wise one: If 180,000 cubic yards of sand each year to the ever-narrower inlet began undermining the bridge pilings. The bridge has it’s not broken, don’t fix it. And as coastal beaches of Assateague. since undergone extensive repairs. Also, to widen the inlet the Army Corps engineers have discovered, trying to fix a Then there’s the example of the Herbert C. of Engineers has cut 400 feet off the tip of Bodie Island and transferred the perceived erosion problem often leads to Bonner Bridge that spans Oregon Inlet on the sand to the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge. other, potentially bigger problems. Outer Banks. In 1989 the N.C. Coastal Resources Proponents of beach hardening point out that rocking up the south Take the jetties on each side of the Commission changed its rules on shoreline harden- end of Bodie Island would keep Oregon Inlet open. But that move would inlet just south of Ocean City, MD. Built ing to allow the N.C. Department of Transporta- cause problems similar to those at Ocean City Inlet—runaway erosion on in the 1930s to stabilize Ocean City tion to build a small jetty, called a groin, on Pea Pea Island, a slender portion of the Outer Banks with no extra sand to spare Inlet, the jetties disrupted the normal Galveston, TX seawall, Island to protect the south end of the bridge. unless the state is willing to constantly dredge the inlet and move the sand north-south flow of sand along the coast. In a short time the erosion rate on Hurricane Rita 2005. The groin keeps the north tip of the island Photo courtesy U.S. Army Corps to Pea Island. publicly-owned Assateague Island National Seashore, just to the south, had of Engineers. from eroding away. But on the north side of the As the examples in Maryland and Oregon Inlet show, groins and jetties increased from about three feet a year to an astounding 40 feet a year. inlet, the tip of Bodie Island is still catching sand don’t negate the need for constant dredging and re-nourishment. The cost of In 2001 and 2002 sand was pumped back onto Assateague, at and migrating south. As a result, Oregon Inlet has grown narrower. But the building such structures and the long-term costs of maintaining them could a cost of $13.2 million. An elaborate system now attempts to move amount of water flowing through it hasn’t decreased. be exorbitant.

4 t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 State and Federal Policies Encourage Risky Development

far left: S-Curve on Hatteras Island; left: Orphan home in Kitty Hawk

non-existent for nearly three decades, the population of beach towns swelled and real estate values escalated. Every inch of the oceanfront became hot property. A few attempts were made to limit development along beaches that were still pristine. In 1982 Congress enacted the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA), which barred the use of federal CRC Attempts to Tighten Ocean Setback subsidies that would promote the development on then- undeveloped segments of barrier islands. Recently the state’s Coastal Resources Commission took steps to tighten the By then it was widely recognized that the National Flood Suppose you’re the owner of an oceanfront lot oceanfront setback requirements. Regulations adopted this spring that are on one of North Carolina’s beautiful barrier Insurance Program’s underwriting of oceanfront insurance now before the N.C. General Assembly don’t change the setback require- premiums had promoted development in hazardous areas. islands, and you’ve finally saved enough to ments for structures smaller than 5,000 square feet. But they increase the Thanks to the federal program, insurance costs for many struc- build a house. It’s a deep lot, and there’s plenty setbacks incrementally for larger structures. tures are about half of what they’d be if purchased from a private of room for a 200-foot setback from the beach. If you build a house or commercial structure with more than 5,000 square insurer. Also, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief program, property owners receive But you’d like to put the house close to the feet of heated area, your setback is 60 times the yearly erosion rate. Over generous tax credits for lost oceanfront property. 10,000 square feet, the requirement rises to 65 times the annual erosion ocean so that your views are not blocked by CBRA was intended to put such subsidies off limits. The neighboring houses—as long as it’s safe. rate; over 20,000 square feet to 70 times the erosion rate; and on up, to a Currituck Outer Banks north of Corolla was designated as maximum of 90 times the erosion rate. It appears you’re in luck. The lot is in a zone of relatively a CBRA zone, along with the north end of Topsail Beach. To low erosion, only two feet a year, according to maps approved There’s a caveat. If your house is in a town that has an ongoing beach re-nour- build on these sites, property owners had to purchase more by the state in 1998. ishment project, your setback requirement is limited to 60 times the erosion rate, expensive insurance premiums from private companies, such There’s a grass-covered dune between the building site measured from what’s called the static line of vegetation–the line of beach grass as Lloyd’s of London. If their structures were destroyed, FEMA disaster relief funds would not bail them out. and the surf. You’re planning to build a “small” house—that is, that grows up closest to the ocean as soon as the nourishment is completed. one with less than 5,000 square feet. Under the Coastal Area But development sprang up in the CBRA zones anyway. Management Act (CAMA), you need a setback of 60 feet—the Are the new setbacks strict enough? Probably not, given that the life expec- Property on and near the ocean was simply too valuable. Also, two-foot annual erosion rate times 30—from the line of beach tancy of a new structure is 70 years. “We’re potentially setting ourselves up state policymakers failed to enact their own CBRA policies grass that’s closest to the water. for problems down the road,” says Rob Young, director of the Program for that would have strengthened the federal regulations, such as Simple, right? The 60-foot setback will protect your house Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University. restricting the development of public infrastructure in CBRA from erosion over the next 30 years. Setback rates are doubled— zones. CBRA illustrates that people will invest in these hazardous the annual erosion rate times 60—for struc- areas even without federal subsidies, at least until they begin to tures larger than 5,000 square feet, which are well as initial policy suffer repetitive economic losses. harder to move out of harm’s way. steps,” says David In addition, the federal Stafford Act, passed in 1988, But wait. The lifespan of a wood frame Owens, former makes federal money available for rebuilding in hurricane- house is an estimated 70 years. What’s director of the state ravaged areas. Rob Young, head of the Program for the Study of more, the state erosion rates were calcu- Division of Coastal Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, points to lated based upon historical records. Your Management. “But Dauphin Island, Al., which was nearly obliterated by Hurricane shoreline is now actually eroding at a rate they haven’t been Katrina in 2005. Instead of discouraging redevelopment, the of four to five feet a year. And with sea-level allowed to evolve. I Stafford Act provided money for the Army Corps of Engineers rise, erosion is bound to increase. think we’re seeing to pump enough sand to completely rebuild the island. The You finish your house—then a vicious the results of that.” Stafford Act also provides money for rebuilding sewers, nor’easter strikes the coast. You watch from Setbacks aren’t power lines and emergency sand berms. “We’ll never have a your brand new deck as the ocean washes a the only weaknesses sensible approach to coastal management as long as that keeps big chunk of your lot. in the state’s beach happening,” says Young. Too late you realize that you should have Sandbags at Figure Eight Island management Nor have state policymakers obligated real estate agents to built further back from the sea. program. And some tell clients about any property’s erosion rates, flood potential federal programs inadvertently encourage unwise building or hurricane vulnerability. Lenders usually require home Into the V-Zone and redevelopment practices. The state and federal rules chafe buyers to buy flood insurance. But it’s still up to real estate The oceanfront setback requirements are among the most against each other instead of reinforcing each other. shoppers to figure out which stretches of beach are most stable obviously flawed of the well-conceived but weak state policies Under CAMA, the Oceanfront Hazard Area of and which are most likely to wash away. that govern how and where development can occur on our Environmental Concern (AEC) is divided into three zones: beaches. Adopted in 1979, they were the first in the nation to The Erodible Zone, for the most stable beaches; the High Orphans on the Beach be pegged to variable erosion rates. Instead of being designed Hazard Flood or V-Zone (for velocity of flooding); and the Storms inevitably take out beachfront structures—even to provide adequate setbacks from the ocean for the expected most dangerous of all, the Inlet Hazard Zone. Setback require- those that have been reinforced with sandbags. life of oceanfront buildings, they were designed around the ments are the same for all. CAMA allows the installation of sand bags for temporary duration of typical mortgage rates. We now see that they didn’t Until the 1960s, few people built on the sections of beach erosion control—two years for structures under 5,000 square go far enough. that were most vulnerable to storms. A few tried in the 1950s, feet, five years for larger buildings. The regulation’s intent is North Carolina’s policies on beach management were but a series of intense storms including Hurricanes Hazel in to give oceanfront property owners some time so threatened cutting edge—25 years ago. The first regulations “worked 1954 and Donna in 1960 made them re-evaluate their building plans. But after 1960, when storm activity became almost continued on page 14...

t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 5 Rising Seas Mean Brewing Troubles Protecting Our Beaches: Eddies and Shoals Every beach town in North Carolina is clamoring for sand to pump onto its eroding beaches. ...continued from page 4 Property owners in some of those towns are paying higher taxes to finance beach projects that exceed a million dollars per mile of restored beach. Inlets are being moved to protect threatened That action bought property owners enough time to beachfront houses. Jetties are being considered to keep islands from moving. convince local and state officials that the inlet channel should be relocated so it would no longer threaten the north end of All are expensive responses to a rising Atlantic Ocean. excluded a rapid disintegration of the world’s ice sheets. Wrightsville Beach. In 2002 the channel was moved 3,000 feet And it’s only beginning. With melting glaciers, panel members gauged that a three- to the north. Other seaside communities took note. In 2005 Consider: The Atlantic has risen on average about 18 foot rise in sea level was possible. Bogue Inlet channel was moved to the west to lessen erosion on inches a century in all the time we’ve been putting buildings But the panel’s report was based on data that were already Emerald Isle. Relocation has also been proposed for Rich Inlet and roads along its edge. But the natural order is changing several years old. A review of more current literature in the to give relief to threatened properties on Figure Eight Island. because of global warming. The best scientific forecasts now Journal of Bioscience in 2008 came up with a worst-case Despite the variances that allowed hard structures to be predict that the ocean will rise at almost double its historic scenario of a five-foot rise in sea level during the next century. built at Oregon Inlet, Fort Fisher and Bald Head Island, many rate during this century. In April 2009, the respected state officials continued to support the ban. In 2003 the N.C. And even that dramatic journal Nature published a General Assembly passed House Bill 1028, which prohibited increase may be too study showing that about construction of any permanent erosion control structure on conservative. No one, for 121,000 years ago the world’s the oceanfront. Its passage took what had been a state policy instance, predicted what seas rose six-and-a-half to 10 and gave it the weight of law. happened in the Antarctic feet within 50 to 100 years. in 2008. Though the predictions The “Experimental Groin” Fallacy In February of that may not yet be precise, the Although beach re-nourishment is the least damaging year, a large piece of bottom line is clear: Trouble way to forestall erosion, it’s very expensive. Between 1936 and the Wilkins Ice Shelf on is coming. 2006, more than $197 million was spent re-nourishing North the southwest Antarctic The vulnerability of any Carolina beaches. Many of the early projects were compara- Peninsula broke free coastal area to the brimming tively easy, carried out on shores with low-energy waves and and fell into the ocean, Shell Island, before the inlet relocation sea depends on its slope and a good sand supply close to land. In 2000 the Corps estimated stunning climate elevation. A three-foot rise it would need between $10 million and $11.5 million a year scientists. The slice that collapsed measured a mile and a of the Atlantic would have little effect in Maine, say, where to meet re-nourishment demands along 60 miles of state half in width and more than 25 miles in length. Its cleaving granite cliffs rise vertically from the sea. Here, we mostly beaches. In 2006 cost estimates for a 14-mile project in Dare triggered what one journal called “the runaway disintegra- have sand, flat sand. North of Cape Lookout, elevations County came in at close to $1 billion over 50 years. tion” of 250 square miles of the interior of the ice flow. are especially low, and the land climbs gradually. Along But with the federal deficit swelling, Army Corps of The ice cap was melting. Quickly. the Albemarle Sound, the land gains only a few inches in Engineer funds for beach re-nourishment—once considered Without question, things are warming up. On the north elevation for every mile traveled inland. South of the cape, easily accessible—have been cut to the bone. Coastal residents side of the globe, the polar ice cap has shrunk faster than the land rises more quickly, climbing nearly three feet west are reluctant to shoulder the full cost of such projects. predicted by any of the computer models used to make of Wilmington for every mile traveled from the coast. Oceanfront property owners are nervously looking for forecasts about climate change. At the end of last summer, Models have been developed to predict coastal inunda- other answers. the polar cap was nearly a third smaller than its average tion with various amounts of sea level rise. On the Outer A bill in the state Senate in 2006 proposed allowing autumnal size from 1979 to 2000. In a couple of years, ships Banks, thought to be the most at risk, a study by the Nature “experimental structures to be used along inlets to help protect should be able to steam through ice-free polar waters, at Conservancy and the Albemarle Pamlico National Estuary private property.” It died. But in 2007 and 2008 other legisla- least during the summer. The illusionary Northwest Passage Program shows most of south Nags Head and Roanoke tion was proposed that would allow construction of a small jetty will become a reality. Island under water with a one-foot rise. That’s the so-called around the north end of Figure Eight Island. Both bills failed. That means trouble is brewing for us in North Carolina, bathtub model, in which waters rise slowly and evenly. Nonetheless, political pressure continues to build. half of a globe away. But barrier islands are shaped most by many natural This year a bill that would allow small jetties to be built on Melting icebergs in the North Atlantic have no effect on forces, including storms, and it’s likely that higher sea level eroding beaches passed the state Senate quickly. Fortunately, the N.C. coast. Like ice cubes melting in a tumbler of water, will mean increased storm surges—especially if warmer seas many legislators know they have only to look to beaches in the icebergs add no additional volume to the ocean. Glaciers and temperatures give birth to more powerful hurricanes. other states to see the damage such structures can cause. are another matter entirely. Huge amounts of water will be Maps by Stanley Riggs and Dorothea Ames of East released into the oceans if they melt. The last time the Earth Carolina University show Cape Hatteras breaking into small Beating the Odds was ice free, the coastline of what would become North islands surrounded by open water if the ocean continues Through all the high tides, storms and political maneuver- Carolina was somewhere close to where I-95 is now. Add to to rise at its current rate or if the Outer Banks are hit ings, the Sea Ranch has remained standing. Its viability got a that, the expansion of the ocean that will occur as the Atlantic by Category Four or Five hurricanes—storms the size of much-needed boost after Hurricane Isabel in 2003, when the warms. Every careless cook learns about thermal expansion Katrina and Rita. The central coast barrier islands would Federal Emergency Management Agency financed the building when failing to keep a close eye on the pot of bubbling still be intact with a 13.7-inch rise in sea level, according to of an emergency berm along much of the Dare County Outer spaghetti water. predictive maps by Ben Poulter, a former Duke University Banks. Sand was trucked in from a mine in Currituck County No one is yet selling beachfront property in Rocky researcher. But they would be much thinner. Mainland and and placed in a long ridge along the beach. Mount, but the best available forecasts aren’t encouraging. islands together, Poulter predicts about 770 square miles of Much of the berm remains. But the beach in front of the The United Nation’s International Panel on Climate Change dry ground would be gone with eastern Carteret County and Sea Ranch is steeper than a natural beach, and the tops of sand predicted in 2007 that the oceans of the world will rise an the peninsula between Albemarle and Pamlico sounds being bags are visible—a potent reminder that erosion, like rust, average seven to 23 inches by 2100. The forecast, though, most vulnerable. never stops.

6 t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 Beach Summit: Experts Convene, Come Up with Better Plan

The idea was simple. Bring together that they align with state policies. the top experts in the various fields Advancements in the scientific understanding of of managing growth along the state’s climate, sea-level rise and the effects of coastal storms send a clear warning that we are ill-prepared to adapt. beaches. Put them all in one room for These major drivers seriously challenge North a couple of days to brainstorm. And, Carolina’s resolve to protect its beaches. in the end, have them come up with Our ability to predict changes in beaches as a result a better plan to address rapid coastal of these drivers is improving dramatically, but this infor- development and accelerated sea-level mation has not been adequately used to devise long-term rise while protecting our public management programs. The failure to put effective programs in place before they are needed has and beaches. will result in short-sighted management decisions We think they did. that degrade the public beach. Beach Summit participants The N.C. Coastal Federation and the Center Current development trends illustrate a disconnect for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters at between short-term and long-term beach manage- UNC-Chapel Hill, with some funding help from the ment needs. The density and size of oceanfront development is N.C. Beach, Inlet & Waterway Association, convened a Beach Summit Findings increasing even in light of warnings about storm activity and Management Summit in Beaufort in March 2009. increasing rates of sea-level rise. Building setback distances Existing state policies and rules that manage growth on We asked the 41 diverse participants to discuss emerging are inadequate to provide for the long-term protection of our North Carolina’s beaches were originally designed with one threats to the public beach and to evaluate existing ocean- public beaches. The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission has clear purpose: Protect the North Carolina’s beaches for the front policies, programs and regulations. We challenged modified setback requirements and is waiting for legislative public. Unfortunately, other state or federal policies often them to suggest actions to ensure North Carolina is prepared approval of its revised rules. conflict with that goal, and the state has failed to put effective to address development, coastal storms and sea-level rise Protecting the public beaches is compatible with the Coastal programs in place to protect the public beach. along our oceanfront. The goal of the meeting was to identify Habitat Protection Plan. The plan recognizes beach re-nourish- Those are among the key findings of the Beach Summit a coherent set of policy recommendations that are supported ment as an accepted tool for beach protection as long as proper after participants considered a range of topics, such as the by science and will further the basic policy of North Carolina grain size and necessary dredging moratoriums continue to be history of beach policy in North Carolina, the influence to protect its oceanfront recreational beaches. used to minimize ecological harm to living organisms. The only requirement was that those recommenda- of federal and state programs on beach management and tions had to promote the fundamental state policy that our community development and economic trends that affect public beaches are among our most important environ- beach protection. Isabel Inlet at Hatteras mental, social and economic assets, and that nothing they The key findings, which form the basis for recommend would endanger their continued existence and recommendations, are: health. In short, everyone agreed to attend this meeting Current policies were formulated with the priority of protecting understanding we would not make recommendations that the public recreational beach. Existing policies and regulations placed a higher priority on protecting private and public that manage the beachfront of North Carolina were designed oceanfront developed land over the priority of protecting our with the intent that the public beach should be protected even public trust recreational beaches. at the expense of other oceanfront land uses. State policy Beyond this one ground rule, the summit provided an makers viewed the need to protect the beach for the public open forum to challenge existing ideas, rules and programs. trust as paramount. We encouraged participants to think creatively, but at the Many state and federal policies are not coordinated and work same time remember that if we have learned anything from at cross purposes with the state’s existing priority to protect the the past two decades, it is the difficulty inherent when public beach. Some existing federal and state governmental adopting, implementing and enforcing regulatory policies programs do not reinforce the state’s goal of protecting the and programs. We pushed participants to be specific and public beach. North Carolina has not been sufficiently aggres- focus their recommendations so that they can be acted upon sive in its efforts to bring consistency to these programs so and enacted as policy.

Findings and Recommendations Issued by Summit Participants (Please note: • Jimmy Johnson, eastern regional field officer, N.C. Department of Participants issued these recommendations as individuals. Organizational Environment and Natural Resources affiliations are for identification purposes only and do not imply any endorse- • Charles Jones, retired director, N.C. Division of Coastal Management • Joe Ramus, Research Professor, Duke University Marine Lab ment by these agencies.) • Rick Luettich, director and professor, Institute of Marine Sciences, UNC-Chapel Hill • Dara Royal, chair, Coastal Resources Advisory Council • Dick Bierly, vice president, N.C. Coastal Federation • David Marlett, director, Brantley Risk and Insurance Center; Chair, • Greg Rudolph, manager, Carteret County Shore Protection Office • Ray Burby, professor emeritus, Department of City and Regional Planning, Department of Finance, Banking & Insurance, Appalachian State University • Harry Simmons, executive director, N.C. Beach and Inlet Waterway Association UNC-Chapel Hill • Todd Miller, executive director, N.C. Coastal Federation • Gavin Smith, executive director, Center for the Study of Natural Hazards • Chris Canfield, executive director, Audubon North Carolina • Charlotte Mitchell, K&L Gates and Disasters, UNC-Chapel Hill • Derb Carter, executive director, Southern Environmental Law Center • Pres Pate, retired director, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries; retired • Jim Stephenson, policy director, N.C. Coastal Federation • Matthew Converse, Bank of Currituck associate director, N.C. Division of Coastal Management • Doug Wakeman, economics professor, Meredith College • Chris Dumas, associate professor, Department of Economics and Finance, • Mack Paul, K&L Gates • J.P. Walsh, assistant professor, Department of Geology, East Carolina University UNC-Wilmington • Len Pietrafesa, director, Office of External Affairs, College of Physical & • Joan Weld, vice chairwoman, N.C. Coastal Resources Commission • Bob Emory, chairman, N.C. Coastal Resources Commission Mathematical Sciences, N.C. State University • Berry Williams, Berry A. Williams & Associates • Dave Godschalk, Stephen Baxter professor emeritus, Department of City • Rob Young, director, Program for the Study of Developing Shorelines, and Regional Planning, UNC-Chapel Hill Western Carolina University t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 7 Sweeping Recommendations Would Protect State’s Beaches

Limits on high-rise buildings on the oceanfront, structure. These programs need to be designed changes in the federal flood insurance program, so that they do not sacrifice public recreational money to relocate buildings threatened by erosion beaches to protect private oceanfront property. and limits on the amount of money spent to rebuild • Ask Congress to direct National Flood storm-damaged public infrastructure are just a few Insurance Program to develop “erosion” insurance that would help landowners self- of the sweeping recommendations made by summit finance to protect themselves participants. against financial losses associated The purpose of the recommendations is to refocus state with coastal erosion. and federal policies of managing growth on the oceanfront so that they consistently reinforce the goal of protecting public above: Sandbags at Pea Island; right: Hatteras, before and • Ask Congress to fund a joint recreational beaches. after. Photo courtesy of NOAA state and federal adaptation study To do that, participants came up with two sets of recom- covering Virginia, North Carolina mendations. The first is aimed at buying time for coastal plans to include an actionable strategy describ- and South Carolina that helps communities by allowing them to effectively protect their ing how the public recreational beach will be develop relocation and removal beaches and existing oceanfront development without protected through adaptive management strate- strategies using existing authori- compromising the public beach in the process. The other gies that make them less vulnerable to future coastal hazards. ties of the US Army Corps of Engineers. recommendations would help those communities better • Ask Congress to direct the National Flood Insurance • Request that the N.C. Division of Emergency adapt to sea-level rise and storms that will inevitably lead to Program to pay for the relocation of threatened structures Management work with DCM to plan the $5 million removing or relocating buildings and infrastructure and, over before they are claimed by the ocean. federally funded study on sea-level rise to ensure that it time, will trigger significant adjustments to land use patterns • Ask the N.C. General Assembly to enact a program that establishes sound adaptation strategies for how beachfront along the oceanfront in order to protect public beaches. funds and assigns responsibility for removing buildings communities can adapt to long-term sea-level rise without degrading their public beaches. Buying Time from the publicly owned beach. • Ask the N.C. General Assembly to allocate adequate money • Ask the CRC to identify counterproductive federal To allow coastal communities to more effectively protect or state programs that encourage intense develop- beaches and existing oceanfront development, summit to ensure that DCM has the capacity to enforce sand compat- ibility standards for all beach nourishment projects. ment along the oceanfront. These programs should be participants decided to: eliminated or modified to be consistent with the state’s • Ask the N.C. General Assembly to allow the revised setback • Ask Congress to change funding formulas for beach Coastal Management Program, and counterproductive rules recently adopted by the Coastal Resources Commission nourishment so that they place an equal or greater value on programs should be made ineligible under the Coastal Zone to go into effect. environmental, recreational and public access benefits versus Management Act for federal permits, grants or loans. the current emphasis concerning storm damage reduction for • Ask the N.C. General Assembly to enact a Family Beach Act structures, which favors higher building densities. • Ask the CRC and the N.C. Division of Emergency that places limits on high-rise buildings and other forms Management to integrate post-disaster planning require- of high-density development on the oceanfront, patterned • Ask the N.C. General Assembly to work with local ments with hazard mitigation planning requirements in after the height limits adopted by most beach communi- governments to identify additional funding and innovative one plan that includes the latest scientific understanding of ties. This would prevent beach nourishment projects financing strategies for beach nourishment projects that sea-level rise, erosion and other coastal hazards. from encouraging increased building densities along the are consistent with the state’s strategy for allocating sand resources under the Beach and Inlet Management Plan. • Ask the legislature to make the CRC the lead entity responsi- oceanfront, and give longer term adaptation and relocation ble for coordinating adaptation programs that are designed to strategies more chance to succeed. • Ask the Coastal Resources Commission to ensure the relocate and remove land uses that are no longer sustainable. • Ask the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) to forthcoming Beach and Inlet Management Plan provides a strategy for allocating sand resources and alternative reloca- • Ask Congress and the legislature to modify existing amend and seek federal approval of the N.C. Coastal Area programs and develop long-term funding mechanisms Management Program to include a specific policy statement tion strategies for those beach communities that don’t have adequate sand resources to do beach nourishment. to assist communities in adapting to changing coastal that prevents the loss of sand to the beach system as a result conditions. of navigational dredging projects. Sea-Level Rise • Ask the N.C. General Assembly to establish public policy • Ask the CRC and the N.C. Division of Coastal Management that limits the use of public funds to rebuild or improve To allow beach landowners and local, state and federal (DCM) to take the lead in coordinating state and federal substantially damaged public infrastructure and critical facili- agencies to better adapt to accelerated sea-level rise, summit programs that protect our public recreational beaches. ties located in the oceanfront flood zones following disasters. participants decided to: • Ask the CRC to strengthen the existing post-disaster • Ask the N.C. General Assembly to mandate and fund opera- • Ask the N.C. General Assembly to direct the CRC to reconstruction component found in North Carolina CAMA tional programs that remove or relocate buildings and infra- develop recommendations for responding to erosion hazards and planning for sea-level rise so that the public recreational beach is always protected. Recommendations Are Call to Action It is essential the recommendations made by participants of the The group envisions that management programs resulting from these Summit participants believe the effective protection of the public rec- Beach Summit be acted upon quickly and concurrently to provide recommendations must work in concert to address changing beach conditions reational beach can only occur by getting out in front of issues and threats comprehensive oceanfront management programs that protect the public responding to sea level rise, storms and the daily ebb and flow of the ocean. and not waiting until the beaches are in crisis. North Carolina’s beaches recreational beach. All summit participants stress that protection of the public recreational beach are simply too valuable to leave their fate to a reactionary management Summit participants warn that piecemeal application of these recom- must remain the clear purpose and outcome of all management decisions approach that results in decisions that satisfy no one. Adopting a business mendations will increase the likelihood that management efforts will along North Carolina’s oceanfront. as usual approach is not an option if future generations are to continue to work at cross-purposes and undermine the goal of protecting the beach. benefit from North Carolina’s wonderful beaches.

8 t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 2008 Pelican Awards Statewide the federation. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Northeast and 105-4 in the House. Lifetime Achievement Often, Givens found it necessary to convene Business Sam Bland (pictured right) stakeholder meetings to craft a compromise between Bank of Currituck By the time the federation gets competing interests. When the Lower Neuse River experi- Last year, in the heat of the debate over the new state around to recognizing someone with enced fish kills during the mid-1990s, Givens crafted the stormwater rules, the Bank of Currituck went out on a limb our lifetime achievement award, the Clean Water Responsibility and Environmentally Sound by hosting a workshop that helped to bring the federa- winner has normally contributed about Policy Act of 1997. When trash speculators concocted tion’s message of low-impact development (LID) to area as much as is humanly possible toward projects for skyscraper mounds of trash near wildlife builders. As president of the bank and a member of the the protection and well-being of our refuges and public gamelands, Givens penned the Solid federation’s Board of Directors, Matt Converse cultivated coast. This year’s award goes to Sam Bland, and while he Waste Management Act of 2007, and he continued to work a discussion with northeast coast developers and builders deserves this award for his past accomplishments, we give through a myriad of other sensitive legislation as environ- by hosting the workshop at the bank’s Grandy branch. Area it to him with the expectation that he has the potential to mental issues arose. developers, builders and citizens learned about LID from win this award a second time given his ongoing dedication Larry Coffman, a nationally recognized LID pioneer and to the protection and restoration of our beautiful coast. State Government Official expert. Matt has offered to use Bank of Currituck branches (pictured left) At age 50, after 30 years in the Department of Mike Randall in Grandy and Moyock as demonstration sites for green Environment and Natural Resources, 22 of them as a ranger While low-impact development development and LID practices as a way of showing the and superintendent of Hammock Beach State Park, Sam (LID) is gaining popularity nation- public their commitment to sustainable development. He retired in February from his official responsibilities to wide, the dedication of one state continues to present an environmentally friendly message protect and manage one of our coast’s most special places. government official is helping lead to audiences within his sphere. Sam took care of the park in a way that protected its natural the way for use of LID in coastal North resources while at the same time allowed the public to Carolina. Mike Randall with the N.C. Citizen Action enjoy and understand its spectacular natural heritage. Division of Water Quality has demon- C.O.A.S.T? (Can Our Actions Save That’s a tough balancing act when you’re responsible for strated a real commitment to using Tomorrow?) protecting one of the crown jewels of our state—there’s the LID as an option for developers in A group of residents north of Corolla on the Currituck tendency to love such treasures to death. He has devoted meeting state stormwater requirements. LID is a relatively Outer Banks found the answer to that question to be a himself to being one of our state’s best and most responsi- new development approach that reduces and often prevents resounding yes. The group, known as C.O.A.S.T, fought ble coastal stewards by consistently carrying out his duties pollution from stormwater runoff. hard against a county zoning change that would have with the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation with passion Mike has made great strides toward changing our allowed commercial development in their part of the and dedication. business-as-usual approach to stormwater management, islands, which doesn’t even have a road. The only way to For the past several years, Sam has served as a board recognizing the limitations of conventional pipe and pond reach the small settlements of Swan Beach and Carova is member of the federation. Since his retirement, he has systems in protecting water quality. He partnered with New to drive the beach. It’s not a suitable place for shops and become our most active volunteer, putting in long hours Hanover County; Brunswick County; Wilmington; Withers hotels, as C.O.A.S.T. members effectively argued to the working to advance our mission. Sam seeks no recognition & Ravenel, an engineering firm; and Currituck Board of Commissioners in November. The or glory for his good works—he is motivated only by what’s the federation to develop a LID manual activists pulled together information about the effects good for the coast. His approach to environmental steward- and other supporting tools. Mike is of development on stormwater and the water table, ship represents our best hope for maintaining a healthy a true champion of LID and actively traffic on the beach, emergency service and evacua- and productive coast for future generations. He inspires promotes its use in North Carolina. tion problems, disturbance of wildlife and more. Their everyone he works with to put aside arguments were so carefully drawn that the commis- unproductive rhetoric, roll up their Special Recognition sioners voted unanimously to deny the zoning change. Olivia Holding (pictured right) sleeves and get to work. He is an inspiration to us all. Olivia Holding is well-known Environmental Education throughout North Carolina as an Mary Doll (Cape Hatteras National Legislative energetic environmental advocate Seashore) George Givens (pictured right) and is actively engaged in a number Each year the National Park Service offers high- Enacting laws has often been of statewide boards, including that of the federation. Olivia quality environmental education outings that reach compared to sausage making, and has guided the growth of the federation as a board member thousands of visitors to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. for the past 23 years, George Givens since 1996. In 2006 she took on the leadership role in Mary Doll, the seashore’s chief of interpretation, works hard has served up some of the finest the federation’s historic campaign to raise $3 million. For to make sure the programs fare in the N.C. General Assembly. three years, Olivia directed her enthusiasm and love for impart a great deal of As chief counsel to the legislative committees handling the coast to raise visibility and donations. She traveled to information about the fragile environmental issues, Givens had a principal role in writing meet with donors and convincingly told her story about coastal system of the Cape the laws that define how development and natural resources the critical role that the federation plays in protecting and Hatteras region. Judging from are managed in North Carolina. restoring the coast. Through her leadership, the Campaign the high popularity of the In 2008, Givens presided over a series of contentious Steering Committee successfully ended the campaign with programs, they’re also lots stakeholder meetings on the Coastal Stormwater rules. more than $3 million raised, hundreds of new friends of fun. In 2008, Sara Hallas, The law that emerged from these negotiations resulted in and coast-wide expansion of the federation, putting the federation’s NE outreach science-based protections for sensitive shellfish waters Coastkeepers®, restoration and education staff to work in specialist, partnered with Doll in all 20 coastal counties – a long sought-after objective of three regional offices. to offer a sound-side seining

t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 9 program at Oregon Inlet. She got a first-hand look at how well 2008 Pelican Awards Doll’s programs work. “Mary oversees programs not only on Cape Hatteras, Central Environmental Education Jeannie Kraus but also at Fort Raleigh Historic Site and at Wright Business Brothers Memorial,” Sara says. “She manages to create Wal-Mart (pictured right) Jeannie Wilson Kraus, recently retired as education such a wide variety of interpretive programming, there’s curator from the N.C. Maritime Museum, has been educating The federation’s something for everyone. “ students and adults along the N.C. coast for many years. introduction to Wal-Mart Though retired, she still leads programs to Cape Lookout Volunteer came when the retail giant National Seashore and into the Croatan National Forest. She Cliff Ritt purchased land for its newest has been an integral part in the federation’s annual native store in Carteret County. If you need something done to help protect water quality, plant festival as a “plant expert,” teaching others about Federation staff contacted the rally the kayakers. That’s been the philosophy of Cliff Ritt, native plants and their uses in landscaping. Jeannie, author new store engineers and suggested a number of low-impact the former president of the Outer Banks Paddling Club. In of A Guide to Ocean Dune Plants development (LID) strategies that they might 2008 Cliff convinced club members to show up in force at Common to North Carolina and incorporate into the construction. Wal-Mart agreed numerous important public meetings, including a June rally A Guide to Salt Marsh Plants to vary their design in order to help protect the in Raleigh asking legislators to support strengthened coastal Common to North Carolina, has nearby waters of the White Oak River. A call from stormwater regulations, the public meeting on the state’s been a frequent guest on the a Wal-Mart staff person later led to a project that new Beach and Inlet Management Plan and a Manteo Board federation’s cable show and has introduced the federation to Diana Gardner, and of Adjustments hearing on the permit for the federation’s volunteered her time in the past a great community partnership began. Through new office building. Thanks to his efforts, many voices have to help lead trips with federation Diana’s encouragement, the federation began a spoken loudly about the importance of protecting coastal educators. waters. Cliff has also enthusiastically recruited new federa- school rain garden program that helps students tion members, and he was recently named to the federation’s along the coast learn about the coastal environ- Volunteer Northeast Region Advisory Board. ment and help plan, build and plant rain gardens Donna Snead (pictured left) at schools. In addition to Donna Snead has been Conservation/Restoration funding four rain gardens, volunteering for the federation Katherine Mitchell (pictured below right) Wal-Mart has provided for over five years and plans dozens of volunteers The Northeast regional award goes to a person rather to volunteer for many more. from their stores to assist than a specific project. Katherine Mitchell has dedicated Donna, who splits her time between Virginia and with plantings and other herself to helping restore the natural hydrology of the coast North Carolina, lives in Emerald Isle. She volunteers volunteer activities. through the use of native plants and rain gardens. As the for many organizations in Carteret County, but logs horticulturist for the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island, the most hours for the federation. Donna has worked she has spearheaded the installation of several low-impact Citizen Action Dick Bierly (pictured right) diligently in every federation habitat restoration development features on the aquarium property. Through event, festival and headquarters event and she also Some people retire to her efforts, the aquarium has installed cisterns to collect serves on the federation’s Board of Directors. Donna relax but not Dick Bierly run-off from the building’s roof and a showcase rain garden, often takes her show on the road, setting up and of Morehead City. Since which she designed and maintains. manning booths for different events in and around moving to Carteret County Kathy has done more than anyone else to bring about Greensboro. In 2008, Donna volunteered over 100 in 1992, Dick has been the cumulative success of rain gardens in the Northeast hours for the federation and she hasn’t slowed down actively region. She has in 2009. Her constant energy and sincere interest in working served as a trusted volunteering have endeared her to federation staff and to protect advisor and partner other volunteers. to the federation our natural resources. Recognizing the link in the design and between a healthy coastal environment and Conservation/Restoration installation of rain a healthy coastal economy, Dick has been Cape Lookout National Seashore and gardens throughout a major player in bringing both economic the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Manteo, including and conservation interests to the table to heritage center discuss complicated coastal issues. He is a the gardens at the The goal of this successful demonstration project was strong advocate of effective planning and federation’s new to reduce bacteria concentrations entering into Core Sound promotes the connection between land office and elsewhere by identifying, designing and installing several low-impact uses and water quality. Dick played a major in the region. She developments (LID) treatments. Two cisterns, three rain role in the debate and adoption of the speaks frequently to gardens and a stormwater wetland were installed at the state’s coastal stormwater rules, participat- public groups on the museum and the seashore’s visitor center and are helping to ing in several key agency meetings and value of using native capture, absorb and filter polluted stormwater runoff that public hearings. Dick also leads the Coastal plants and installing would have flowed into the adjacent shellfish waters of Core Caucus, a collaboration of environmental rain gardens. Sound. N.C. State University’s Department of Biological groups that meets to strategize on key & Agricultural Engineering designed the project and the coastal issues. He also developed the Duke University Marine Lab near Beaufort is monitoring concept of a Coastal Growth Strategies it. The N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, North Course for local elected officials that the Carolina Sea Grant and by the N.C. Division of Soil and federation has worked with partners to Water Conservation’s Community Conservation Assistance organize and hold.

10 t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 Program provided money for the project. Other project thousands of hours to educate area residents partners included the Master Gardener volunteers of N.C. about the potential adverse environmental effects State University’s Cooperative Extension and Harkers Island and health hazards associated with the proposed Elementary School. Titan Cement Co. plant. Over the last year, they have taken their message from a door-to-door Southeast campaign, to the offices of EPA and to the offices Local Government of many of their state legislators. Kelly, one of Phil Prete (City of Wilmington), Shawn the founders of the growing citizen effort, has Ralston (New Hanover County) been a guiding light in this fight. A prodigious researcher and tireless advocate, she has somehow Recognizing that conventional approaches to develop- managed to balance her fulltime effort to fight ment are not adequately protecting water quality, in 2008, Titan with her other fulltime job as a mother of New Hanover County, the City of Wilmington and Brunswick three small children. County unanimously adopted Low Impact Development (LID) technical manuals to allow for voluntary use of LID to Environmental Education manage stormwater. LID is a relatively new approach to site Valerie Southgate and continued closure of critical shellfish beds in the river. design, development and land use planning that reduces and Jamie McGirt The members of the army are: Lynn Bohlen, Shelia often prevents impacts from stormwater runoff. During her second year of teaching in 1998 at John T. Drennen, Hans Forster, Bob Graham, Phyllis Evans, Ben Phil Prete, City of Wilmington Environmental Planner Hoggard High School in Wilmington, Valerie Southgate & Eva Haddon, Tom Hetherington, Melody Knowles, Fred and Shawn Ralston, New Hanover County Environmental began bringing her classes out to the salt marsh in the hopes Loepp, John Michaux, Dave Pelizzari, Rich Peruggi, Kevin Planner dedicated tireless hours toward developing the easy of sharing her love for the coast with her students. For 12 Talon, Joe Taylor and Hans Wagner. to read, user-friendly LID manuals that received wide- years, she has stressed the importance of the marsh and spread support and buy-in from a both development and other estuarine habitats as critical components of our coastal Conservation/Restoration environmental interests. The final documents are already ecology. Through her partnership with the federation, over city of wilmington stormwater services serving as models for implementing LID in other coastal 300 students have become engaged in the Student Habitat and new hanover county planning communities. The North Carolina Coastal Federation Education Program. Valerie’s’ hope is for her students to department (james E.L. Wade Stormwater partnered with the local governments and state Division of become young environmental stewards and educate others. Wetland and Community Park) (pictured below) Water Quality to fund and support the project. One of her students, Jaimie McGirt, has displayed New Hanover County and Wilmington joined forces to get Business passion and dedication toward protecting and restoring our funding from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund New River Nets and Cofish coast. Jaimie cites growing up next to the ocean and having to acquire 17 acres and build an 11-acre stormwater wetland International the beach and marshes as her tutors as the reasons behind in the Hewlett’s Creek watershed. This project diverts two her drive to become a vocal and active coastal steward. major stormwater outfalls away from the shellfish waters of The Shepard family, owners of the New River Nets and Through Jaimie’s student teaching, mentoring, volunteering the creeks and into a series of created stormwater wetlands. Cofish International in Sneads Ferry, are long-time friends and work with Hoggard’s National Honor Society, she has The stormwater wetlands help to capture and treat polluted and supporters of the federation. Over the years, New River involved many of her fellow students in caring for the coast. runoff from about 10 percent of the watershed. The wetland Nets has donated boating supplies, foul weather field gear also serves as critical habitat for native and migratory birds, and restoration supplies to help keep the federation staff Volunteer animals and plants and is the largest constructed stormwater well-equipped and ready to work in the field. Most recently, Lockwood Folly Army (pictured above right) wetland in the area. After the wetland construction, the city they donated box loads of warm vests and rain gear to the In 2007, 16 people joined the federation on a project installed a passive park on the same site. The park is named federation for distribution to area school children who to determine what is ailing the Lockwood Folly River in for James E. L. Wade, a former mayor and community activist. participated in one of the federation’s many field trips. Brunswick County. Jason Doll, an engineer for the project, The project is part of an overall effort to restore Hewlett’s They have also offered the federation at-cost barrels that dubbed them the “Lockwood Army.” Both Jason and the Creek and its shellfish waters. are used to create rain barrels for sale at our annual native federation were amazed by the dedication of these volunteers plant festival. Through the generosity of New River Nets, who consistently the federation’s boats and staff are better equipped to do our sampled in even jobs in even the worst field conditions, and its dedication to the most harsh our mission is an excellent example of how businesses can weather condi- partner with the federation to help protect our coast. tions. The group Citizen Action took over 300 Kelly Stryker and The Friends of the water samples to help determine Lower Cape Fear (pictured below right) what is causing the Kelly Stryker and the Friends of the Lower Cape Fear demon- strate what committed people can achieve. In their efforts to stop a heavily polluting cement industry from locating along a pristine section of the Cape Fear River, Kelly and the other members of the group have collectively spent

t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 11 North Carolina Coastal Federation Photo © Butch Bales 2008 Annual Report

“In 2008 almost every aspect of our work 2008 Highlights • Promoted low-impact development practices through diversified public-private partnerships has been dramatically influenced by seismic • Promoted adoption of the state’s coastal stormwater rules by organizing community meetings and recruiting • Completed restoration of 1,991 acres at North corrections in our economy, political leadership and volunteers to lobby legislators to support the new rules River Farms the financial capacity of citizens, businesses, and • Worked to protect North Carolina’s beautiful oceanfront • Worked to complete a statewide action plan for oyster governmental agencies to rise to the challenges beaches by helping defend the state’s ban on new habitat and secure $6.3 million in funding for the plan seawalls, groins and jetties our coast faces. Never in the 27-year history of the • Acquired 200 acres of land on the White Oak River • Laid the groundwork for restoring polluted tidal creeks • Completed nine wetland and shoreline restoration federation has our work been needed more. We by conducting restoration studies supported by the U.S. projects and built 15 rain gardens EPA and N.C. Division of Water Quality satisfied these demands by stretching our creativity, • Engaged 4,907 student volunteers and 979 adult efficiency and sweat equity.” • Opened the Northeast Regional Office in Manteo volunteers in our work • Expanded the federation’s reach to offer Coastkeeper®, • Built the federation’s membership from 8,500 to 9,000 – Todd Miller, Executive Director, N. C. Coastal Federation Restoration, Education and Outreach programs equally in all three coastal regions • Successfully completed its $3 million Capital Campaign

12 t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 Major Accomplishments Jan. 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008

Northeast Region • With assistance from hundreds of volunteers, renova- tions were completed and the Northeast Regional Office in Manteo was opened. Coastkeeper®, Restoration, Education and Outreach Programs were fully staffed and Jan, Erin and Sara hit the ground running. • Worked with the Town of Manteo to conduct an inventory of possible sites for installation of Best Management Practices (BMP) to improve water quality; • Created three rain gardens and planned three more to reduce and filter stormwater; • Established partnerships and developed summer educational programs, including a seining program at Bodie Island and wetlands walks at Roanoke Island Festival Park; • Initiated a student environmental education program in the region and engaged more than 300 students in various programs; • Conducted two public education events – a low-impact development (LID) workshop in March and a presentation in April by Dr. Stan Riggs of East Carolina University on sea level rise and predicted effects on the Outer Banks; • Challenged a stormwater permit for a development on Hatteras Island to demonstrate inadequacies in old state standards; • Designed and secured funding for a living shoreline at Jockey’s Ridge State Park to create fisheries habitat and • Completed restoration of the 1,991 acre Tract 1 at North middle and high schools in Carteret, Craven, and Onslow improve water quality; and River Farms with 17,600 wetland plants and 33,500 trees; counties; • Developed plans and secured initial funding for a restora- • Worked with the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and the • Expanded student education program to six additional tion project in Hyde County that will reduce stormwater Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitor Center on Harkers schools in Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties, reaching runoff on 10,000 acres of agricultural land, paving the way Island to install four additional LID stormwater treatments 2,000 students; for oyster reefs to be built just offshore in Pamlico Sound. including a 1,500-gallon cistern, two rain gardens and a • Completed the monitoring and modeling phase of a three- This is the beginning of a multi- stormwater wetland; year, EPA-funded study that looked at bacteria contamina- year project. • Installed a 1,500- tion that is closing shellfish beds in the White Oak River. A gallon cistern and plan for controlling runoff that is carrying bacteria to the created a rain garden river will be complete in 2009; Photo © Butch Bales Central Region at the federation • Conducted 54 public summer programs at Cape Lookout • Environmental education headquarters; National Seashore, engaging over 400 participants; and programs were expanded, new • Completed student programs were initiated and resto- • Conducted the first Coastal Academy for local wetland nursery and ration milestones were reached. elected officials educating 50 participants from coastal oyster restoration All the while, groundwork was laid governments. projects with nine for a major restoration/education initiative on Jones Island in the White Oak River. • Conducted shoreline plantings at Jones Island, Carteret Community College, Lenoxville Point and Harkers Point; • Bagged and transported 1,677 bags of oyster shell and 1,080 bags of marl in preparation for 2009 oyster restoration work at Jones Island; • Worked with students to construct a rain garden at Chocowinity Middle School;

t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 13 • Hosted two Neighborhood Creek meetings focused on local creek issues, water quality and stewardship opportu- nities, which were attended by over 220 people; • Conducted summer field trips on Bird Island; • Designed and/or created six rain gardens along the southeastern coast; • Completed restoration of a “living shoreline” project and a 100-foot-long oyster shell loading pier at Morris Landing to enable oyster habitat creation projects in Stump Sound; • As part of the Lockwood Folly Watershed TMDL project, NCCF and volunteers collected 340 water quality and flow data samples during 17 sampling events throughout the watershed; and • Assisted in develop- ment of resolutions by Kure, Wrightsville and Carolina beaches for support of Marine No-Discharge zone in New Hanover County.

Southeast Region • Worked with 100-plus partners to complete the Oyster Plan for 2008-2012, • NCCF responded to threats from industry and other devel- establishing a statewide action plan for opment, by encouraging citizens to become engaged and oyster habitat. Helped gain a $2 million help protect water quality in their communities. Education appropriation to expand the Division programs were expanded to engage individuals of all ages in of Marine Fisheries oyster sanctuary environmental stewardship. program and $4.3 million to build an • Reported on two wetland violations to state agencies on oyster research hatchery; two developments, which resulted in Notices of Violation • Led the effort by multiple citizen and significant fines; groups to oppose a proposal to locate • Objected to development in coastal wetlands in Topsail a large cement plant on the Northeast Beach with EPA input, which resulted in denial of the Corps Cape Fear River; of Engineer-required 404 permit; • Expanded education program, • Led efforts to develop LID manuals for New Hanover engaging 160 middle school students in County, the City of Wilmington and Brunswick County. The the Student Wetland Nursery program, participating local governments unanimously adopted the and 141 high school students in the manuals in 2008, opening the door for the use of LID by Oysters in the Classroom program; developers in these coastal communities;

State and Federal Policies Encourage Risky their permits had expired. Dozens of owners have refused and advisors who believe the cost of flood insurance should rise Development...continued from page 5 to comply. A bill introduced to the state legislature seeks a as beaches erode and structures stand more in harm’s way. “The two-year moratorium on the sand bag removal, ostensibly to idea is to use the rates to encourage relocation, not collapse,” he structures can be relocated, and to buy communities time to give the state a chance to study the issue. says. “But that wouldn’t compensate owners for the loss of land. complete nourishment projects. But too often owners have What happens if a structure can’t be saved from collapse So it’s not a popular idea.” treated sand bags as a permanent solution. into the sea? Here’s where things get really dicey. Congress has directed the agency to determine the Sand bags are hard as rock. Stacked together, they function The National Flood Insurance Program provides compen- feasibility of providing insurance for erosion of real estate. as a seawall. Their only advantage is that they can be removed sation to property owners who lose structures to flooding in This type of coverage would compensate financial losses more easily. They limit sand flow, causing beaches to narrow. storms. Homeowners can be reimbursed up to $250,000, and resulting from land disappearing into the sea. “Right now And they deflect wave energy in a way that increases erosion owners of commercial structures can get up to $500,000. But the many oceanfront property owners, with properties that have on adjacent properties. program stopped paying owners to move buildings threatened average values between $1 and $2 million, are substantially Until last year, sand bags were allowed to stay in place by erosion, so many owners leave derelict buildings on the exposed to huge financial losses given the $250,000 cap on indefinitely in communities that had pending re-nourishment beach, waiting for storms to knock them down. What’s more, the flood insurance coverage,” says Todd Miller, executive director plans. But many projects have been delayed indefinitely program doesn’t consider erosion risks. A house on a stretch of of the federation. “Wind insurance will not cover losses if a because of cutbacks in federal funds and the unwillingness stable beach is charged the same rate as one in a highly unstable property is destroyed by flooding, and flood insurance does of local taxpayers to pay for projects. A CRC rule change inlet hazard zone. not cover the loss of earth.” required properties to remove sand bags by May 1, 2008, if David Owens is among the growing number of policymakers

14 t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 2008 Annual Report Photo © Cheryl Burke Statement of activities for the year ended December 31, 2008

Grants and Revenues Donations...... 212,068 Campaign donations/cash...... 650,254* Membership...... 128,482 Grants...... 743,473 Special projects...... 891,324 Grants – land acquisition...... 2,045,809** Investment income (loss)...... (98,616) Miscellaneous...... 8,782 Total revenues...... 4,581,576 Expenses Administration...... 97,802 Development...... 86,208 Headquarters/program...... 591,281 Northeast/program...... 176,591 Central/program...... 210,475 Giving to the Coast Southeast/program...... 253,514 Coastwide restoration & protection projects...... 867,874 Bob Schall, Jackie & Omar Mardan, Percy W. & Elizabeth G. The generosity of our many Friends of the Coast Expenses...... 2,283,745 Meekins Foundation, John & Karen Middleton , Todd Miller enables the NCCF to reach up and down the Land transferred...... 539,513 coast with Coastkeeper®, Advocacy, Restoration, & Julie Shambaugh, Dr. & Mrs. James L. Mohler, Moore and Education programs. We appreciate gifts of Charitable Foundation, N.C. Clean Water Management Total expenses...... 2,823,258 all sizes, as well as the thousands of hours that Trust Fund, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, N.C. Department of Justice-Environmental Net assets our volunteers donate. Division, N.C. Department of Transportation, N. C. Division Change...... 1,758,318 Beginning...... 33,524,899 The following friends made donations at recognition levels. of Marine Fisheries, N.C. Division of Soil and Water Community Conservation Assistance Program, N.C. Sea Ending...... 35,283,217 Jeff & Roz Abrams, The Abrams Charitable Trust., The Grant, North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, Mr. Albatross Fleet, Anheuser-Busch, Albemarle Pamlico How your donations & Mrs. Billy Olive, Adele F. Paynter , C. Sprague Paynter, National Estuarine Program, Diann Barbacci, The Harold were put to work David & Cary Paynter, Stuart M. Paynter , Mary Dudley P. H. Bate Foundation, Richard Bierly, Charles F. Blanchard, Price, Mary Norris Preyer Fund, Joseph Ramus, Restoration Blumenthal Foundation, Boeckman Family Foundation, 4% 4% Systems, Restore America’s Esturaries, Ann Page Cannon Foundation, Carlson Family Foundation, Mary Richardson, Rossbach Family 38% 26% Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, Foundation, John Runkle The Conservation Fund, Hugh & & Nancy Dole, Melvin & Nan Cullman, Thomas Darden, 8% Tillie Shepard, Shield-Ayres 11% 9% The Dickson Foundation, Adam Foundation, Ann & Bland Dillon , Lee H. & Tharon Dunn, Simpson, Lisa Jones & Keith The Educational Foundation Smith, Southern Alliance of America, Laura B. Edwards, for Clean Energy, St. James Susan Edwards & David Staub, Properties, Fred & Alice Kyle Elliott, Emerald Isle Realty, Stanback, Sally Steele & Lee Ernie & Lynne Foster, Ella Ann L Taylor,Craig & Cathy Steffee, & Frank B. Holding Foundation, Sunset Beach Taxpayers Charlie & Jenny Godwin, Association, Melanie Taylor, Golden Corral Charitable Fund, Town of Manteo, US Fish and Grace Jones Richardson Trust, Wildlife Service, Mason & Jill Matt Hapgood, Olivia Britton Venable, Doug Wakeman, Wal- Holding, Kathryn B. Howd, J Mart Foundation, Ralph & *Funds are restricted to the designated Campaign Fund. & B AquaFood, Sarah J. Jolly, Ginger Webster , Grady White **Land purchase on the White Oak River. This property will be transferred to Julian Price Family Foundation, Boats, Dr. L. Polk Williams, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Joseph & Penelope Kilpatrick, and Z. Smith Reynolds Steve Lazin, Susan Lupton &. The federation’s audit is conducted by Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Co., Foundation. P.A. Please contact the federation for a copy of the full audit. Photo © Shawn Baiers

t h e State of the Coast r e p o r t 2009 15 North Carolina Coastal Federation 3609 Highway 24 (Ocean) Newport, North Carolina 28570 252.393.8185 www.nccoast.org

Help Keep North Carolina’s Coast Healthy and Beautiful! Apply for NCCF’s specialty license plate TODAY! Proceeds will be put to work protecting and restoring coastal North Carolina.

Join The North Carolina Coastal Federation Today To Order: www.ncdot.org/dmv or your local license renewal office. Membership Application Yes, I want to help protect and restore our coast. Please enter my membership in the North Carolina Coastal Federation today. Name Your membership donation will be used to: Address • Restore degraded coastal shorelines, wetlands and habitats City State Zip • Educate students about marine ecosystems and what they can do to keep them healthy Phone Email • Protect valuable shellfish waters • Encourage good environmental rules and laws and their enforcement Individuals or Families $35 $50 $100 $250 $500 $1,000 • Educate decision makers about better ways to protect natural resources Businesses, Groups & Organizations $50 $100 $250 $500 $1,000 • Purchase and protect land that is critical to water quality Additional benefits: $100 level – NCCF hat; $250 level – NCCF shirt and hat; $500 level - NCCF hat and • Engage the public in projects and activities that restore and protect the coast shirt and listing in NCCF’s Annual Report; $1,000 level – NCCF hat and shirt, listing in Annual Report and • Help Keep the North Carolina Coast a spectacular place for future generations invitation to a private NCCF event. While your contribution is hard at work for the Coast, Please make your check payable to NCCF and mail with this form to 3609 Highway 24 (Ocean) Newport, NC you can enjoy these member benefits: 28570 or complete the credit card information: • Annual State of the Coast Report Name Card: Visa MC Am Exp. Discover • Discounts on events and workshops Credit Card Number Expir. Date • Members’ Preview of annual native plant sale • Quarterly newsletters Signature • Discounts in the Nature Shop Membership fees minus the value of benefits received are tax-deductible. Fair market value of benefits are: • Checkout privileges in the NCCF library $35-$50 level: 0; $100 level - $10; $250 level - $20; $500 level - $25; $1,000 level - $50. • Action Alerts

Check here if you wish to waive benefits and receive the maximum deduction. E Please recycle.